A man accused of fatally shooting a Culver City bus driver after an argument over a bus stop has been charged with murder, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced.
The shooting happened Oct. 1 when, according to police, 55-year-old Jose Antonio Zayas was trying to get bus driver Bruce Rodriguez, 42, to pull over. When Rodriguez refused, Zayas allegedly pulled out a handgun and shot him.
Zayas is charged with first-degree murder with a special allegation of killing a public transit official, according to Hochman.
“He is facing the most serious charges we could possibly bring. First degree murder, with a special allegation of killing a public transit official. That will lead to a life without the possibility of parole sentence,” Hochman said.
The charges stem from the Oct. 1 shooting near Centinela and Mitchell avenues in Mar Vista.
Officials said Zayas allegedly fired a handgun multiple times, killing Rodriguez. He then grabbed his bike from the front rack of the bus and fled.
Zayas was arrested the following day and booked on suspicion of murder. He also faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Rodriguez had worked as a city bus driver for 12 years.
“Bruce Rodriguez was a valued colleague, a beloved father and husband who was tragically killed by a passenger aboard his bus,” Hochman said.
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At a news conference announcing the charges, Hochman said the case should serve as a warning to anyone who threatens public transit workers.
“We are sending in this case and previous cases an unmistakably clear message, that if any passenger wants to in any way harm a driver or even threaten to harm a driver, they will meet the full weight of the law,” Hochman said.
The case has also renewed concerns about safety on public transit systems.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park called on transit agencies to work with employees and labor unions to strengthen safety measures, citing her efforts to bring back police patrols on Metro while securing working radios and panic buttons for transit workers.
“And while we have addressed those issues, I’m calling on all of our local transit agencies to sit down with their workers and their unions to devise better safety plans. And part of that means keeping dangerous people off of public transit,” Park said.
Hochman emphasized the importance of protecting both transit riders and employees.
“It is something people throughout this county count on, to get them to and from different locations,” he said. “It’s a situation where the drivers should also be assured that if they sign up to drive that bus that nothing will happen to them by any of the passengers who board that bus.”
Zayas is being held on no bail. If convicted as charged, he faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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